Ireland's deep dive into the complex web of infiltration/betrayals that took place leading up to the death of Trotsky was a compelling read, but not one for amateurs. The storyline isn't exactly linear, and there is a lot of emphasis placed on the backstories of certain side characters that muddled the central plot. As other readers have mentioned, Trotsky's death isn't exactly the most obscure event in history (and there are multiple other books covering it) but none weave in as many narratives/ color in as much detail as to the motivations behind the actions of each of the key players in the story. The book is heavily character-driven and a wildly entertaining read that doesn't shy away from exposing some of the more inglorious sides to well-known figures- like, was this how I had to find out that Trotsky was cucking Diego Rivera? And that he was an a-hole father to his son??

Thanks to Josh Ireland, Penguin Group Dutton, and NetGalley for access to the Advanced Reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Trotsky is a very interesting person in history. An alternative and rival to Stalin, he was seen by many as a better choice and a voice for the ideals advocated by Lenin. This well researched book provides the background for the Stalin / Trotsky rivalry and the ruthlessness taken by Stalin to eliminate not only Trotsky, but anyone not deemed sufficiently loyal to him.

Well written and deeply researched, this is a fascinating story. Trotsky and members of his family are ultimately tragically betrayed by those close to them, even though the warning signs were clear. An interesting account of Russian history and the death of a world leader. Recommended.

It may be difficult to justify another book on Trotsky’s death, but Ireland’s work combines true crime with extensive research and historical perspective to produce the ultimate history nerd page-turner. As one would expect from the interwar years, the work must encompass several narratives: Trotsky’s, Stalin’s, the killer’s, and the global situation. It’s a lot to keep track of, so it may be best suited to more serious readers; moreover, the author assumes some familiarity with Trotsky’s role in the Russian Revolutions. Nevertheless, the pacing and the quality of the research will make The Death of Trotsky in-demand at academic and larger public libraries.

This was a very good book. It was well-written. I would highly recommend it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn called it "The Big Solitaire," the idea being that all of the comrades who survived the October Revolution and who were not fully aligned with Stalin were, one by one, having their cards flipped over, slowly and remorselssly. And the single biggest card to be flipped was that of Leon Trotsky.

It is, I think, reasonably common knowledge where, when, and how Trotsky was assassinated (Mexico City, 1940, ice axe to the brain). Other than that, I don't think that I have given Trotsky much of a thought since I finished college, must less about his sad end. (I narrowly escaped having a degree in Soviet Studies in 1990, just as the Soviet Union was undergoing its death throes.) So I fell upon Josh Ireland's book with enthusiasm. THE DEATH OF TROTSKY is almost comparable to CASE CLOSED, one of my favorite books of all time, Gerald Posner's masterly dissection of the Kennedy assassination. The main point of differentiation is that there isn't much in the way of mystery related to Trotsky's death. (I almost said "conspiracy," but while there is no evidence pointing to Oswald conspiring with anyone, there is plenty of evidence, which Ireland elucidates, about Trotsky's assassin conspiring with Soviet intelligence.)

The other obvious point of comparison here is to THE DEATH OF STALIN, which of course was a broad comic farce. There are multiple comic moments in THE DEATH OF TROTSKY, but none of them are farcical--they result due to Ireland's bone-dry wit. At one point, a seemingly guileless young Polish student wanders into the orbit of Trotsky's son, who in turn comes to trust him implicitly. "He could not have been more wrong," Ireland observes, before turning to an analysis of just how badly this one agent had penetrated the European efforts of the Trotskyites.

Ireland specializes in just these sort of chewy historical nuggets. Why was Trotsky in Mexico in the first place? I had never given this a second's worth of thought, but Ireland has the answer: because Diego Rivera invited him, because of course he did. Did this result in Trotsky trying to shag Frida Kahlo? It did indeed, and Trotsky was successful.

The only drawback, I think, is that there is a comic-opera brilliance to THE DEATH OF TROTSKY that somehow manages to elide the fact that Trotsky was one of history's great monsters, eclipsed in his generation only by Stalin, and that if fate had decreed that Trotsky and not Stalin was running the show in the Thirties the world might look very different but still have been incredibly bloody. But Ireland has a fascinating story to tell, two heavyweight-class antagonists at the center, and a whole gaggle of Soviet functionaries and starry-eyed idealists, and one mysterious Spaniard at the center of it all who managed to fool everyone. Highly recommended.

First time I’ve ever read this author and I really love how he writes! I feel I gained knowledge from this book and would definitely recommend it to my history buff friends

Well, once I figured out that Ramon was the man to watch, it went along nicely. But gosh, so many NAMES! I've always known that Trotsky was murdered with an ice axe in Mexico, but none of the particulars, and I was glad to know the particulars. I'll be sorting out my review in the coming weeks and will post it on my Warbird's Book Club page on August 1. (Oops, I see that publication is next February. Okay, I'll write it now and hope I remember to post it next year....

And not long after, I'll be traveling to San Antonio, where I'll make a point of finding the Hagen-Daz store, formerly Zook's Drug Store, that figures in the story.

The Death of Trotsky is a riveting deep dive into the dramatic final chapter of Leon Trotsky’s life and his long, perilous escape from Stalin’s reach. Josh Ireland masterfully details the relentless pursuit of Trotsky by Stalin’s agents, culminating in the infamous ice pick assassination. The story moves between Europe and Mexico, with rich historical context and tense, character-driven narrative. While the focus on Ramón Mercader’s transformation from aristocrat to assassin is compelling, at times the pacing felt uneven, making the ending less impactful than it could’ve been. Still, this book offers a fascinating and chilling account of the Cold War’s early days and the men whose lives were marked by history’s most dangerous political games.

Intriguing, detailed, and a must-read for history buffs.